Who is Michael Franzese to the Mafia?

Michael is the son of Sonny Franzese. According to a clip that can be found online, where Michael explains his story verbally, his father had not wanted him to follow in his footsteps. Sonny had wanted his son to have a different life, he wanted Michael to “do it right,” so Michael started studying to be a doctor. When Sonny was imprisoned, other members of the Mafia approached Michael in the hopes he would get involved to help free his father.

Michael felt like he had to help his father, and many young boys would feel the same. Unfortunately for Michael, it meant joining the Mafia. After an initiation phase, he made his oath, but this is no ordinary oath. It involved a little bit of blood and a burning picture of a saint.

He was told by the head Mafia members that. “If you break your oath you will burn in hell like this saint is burning in your hand.” They then asked him if he accepts the offer, and he did. Michael said, “I took that oath very seriously back then, it is a very serious life. I take it very seriously today, even though I don’t consider myself a member of that life anymore.”

Michael Excelled in the Mafia

He got to a certain position in the mafia where he had 300 people as subordinates. He had quite the grand life with a mansion of a house in Florida, New York, and Marina Del Ray in California, not to mention his private jet and helicopter. At the young age of 29, Michael had a lot going on. He stated in the clip, “I was motivated to do two things. One, I wanted to get my dad out of prison, and two, I wanted to make some money.”

Michael was being trained to take over the family business, but he managed to bring in some changes to the way the Mafia conducted business. Michael devised a plan to steal the tax the government receives for every gallon of gasoline. This was in operation for about eight years, and at the peak of their business they were bringing in 8 million dollars a week.

Who Inspired him to Leave the Mafia?

Aside from robbing the government, Michael Franzese was also into film making and he had a production company based in LA. His good friend Smokey Robinson came to him with a script about a break dancing movie. This was where he met the person who triggered a change within him.

One of the actresses in his movie was a woman named Camille Garcia, and it was love at first sight, or as Michael describes it, “That was it, you had me at hello”. Camille is a Christian woman, and that made Michael realize that if he wanted her in his life then he would have to make some changes.

It’s Not As Easy As it Seems

Leaving the Mafia is not the easiest thing in the world. It is seen as a betrayal to break your oath. For Michael to Achieve his dreams of being with Camille and live a happy but peaceful life, he would need to get out of the family business, which came as a shock to his father who disowned him.

Michael took a plea deal after managing to avoid being indicted for so many years. He was sentenced to 10years imprisonment. He served five years and was released on parole. Not long after that, he got himself arrested again by breaking his parole agreement. And, for that crime, he was put in solitary confinement for 29 months in total. But, where many people lose their minds, Michael maintained his sanity by discovering his faith. He studied the Bible back to front.

He went from being a member of the Mafia to a member of the family of God. Since then, he has become what he describes as a “prolific speaker. Both on a faith-based side, and a secular side, I speak for both.” In 1986, an article was published in Fortune Magazine, with the title, “The 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses” and out of all the names printed in that list, Michael is the only one alive to this day. If you want to learn more about Michael, watch the video below.

Woman Awarded 2.5 Million By Vermont Jury After Her Doctor Inseminated Her With His Own Sperm

In 1977, Cheryl Rousseau visited Doctor John Coates III for an artificial insemination procedure. She was supposed to receive sperm from an unnamed medical student. This student resembled Rousseau’s husband and had characteristics that she required. She and her husband were seeking a donor because he had already had an irreversible vasectomy. (1)

The Rousseau family had no idea that the doctor had inseminated Rousseau with his own sperm until their daughter was an adult. Their daughter wanted some information about her biological father, so she decided to have a DNA test done. It was then that she found out that Doctor Coates was her biological father, not the medical student as it was supposed to be.

The Lawsuit

Rousseau immediately sought the help of an attorney to file for damages. After all, the doctor’s actions were a massive breach of trust. She filed the lawsuit in federal court in Burlington, Vermont. The jury awarded Rousseau $250,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Doctor Coates.

“The jury through its punitive damages verdict sent a message to any physicians who might think about lying to their patients or using their own semen to inseminate their patients,” said Rousseau’s attorney. “Such behavior will have serious consequences.”

Rousseau’s Husband Peter was also originally a part of the lawsuit. The judge, however, determined that Peter could not prove that he, too, had suffered significant damages. This meant that his claims did not go to the jury for consideration.

The Doctor

Doctor John Coates practiced obstetrics and gynecological care in the 1970s. By the time of Rousseau’s lawsuit, he had already retired. Still, the Vermont Medical Board permanently revoked the doctor’s license to practice last month. This is not just because of Rousseau’s lawsuit.

The doctor is also facing another lawsuit from a Colorado woman. She, too, says that Coates inseminated her with his own sperm rather than the agreed-upon donor. As the parties’ lawyers have pointed out, it is impossible that Coates did this accidentally.

On top of the lawsuits that he now owes, Coates also must pay a $4000 administrative penalty. This is in part because the former doctor attempted to mislead the investigative committee. He first refused the genetic testing, then he tried to lie about what he did to the respective women.

“While I have no present memory of ever having used my own genetic material to artificially inseminate a female patient, genetic testing has confirmed that I was the sperm donor for the pregnancy that resulted in the birth of (the daughter of Patient 1),” he said according to the board. “I have no knowledge of, or reason to suspect the existence of any other occasion where I used my own sperm in the performance of an artificial insemination procedure.” (2)

He did not attend the hearings but did give up his license voluntarily. After all, at 80 years old, he retired quite some time ago.

“Dr. Coates retired from medical practice in 2008. He is now 80 years old. He is giving up his medical license permanently. The events that are at issue occurred more than forty years ago. Dr. Coates regrets the circumstances giving rise to the charges.” said a letter submitted by his attorney.

It is not yet clear if Rousseau’s lawyer will contest the verdict that Peter suffered no damages or not.